Nerdly » ‘The Grinch’ Blu-ray Review

11th Mar2019

‘The Grinch’ Blu-ray Review

by Jak-Luke Sharp

Features the voices of: Benedict Cumberbatch, Cameron Seely, Rashida Jones, Pharrell Williams, Tristan O’Hare, Kenan Thompson, Angela Lansbury | Written by Michael LeSieur, Tommy Swerdlow | Directed by Yarrow Cheney, Scott Mosier

The Grinch tells the story of a cynical grump who goes on a mission to steal Christmas, only to have his heart changed by a young girl’s generous holiday spirit. Funny, heartwarming, and visually stunning, it’s a universal story about the spirit of Christmas and the indomitable power of optimism. Academy Award® nominee Benedict Cumberbatch lends his voice to the infamous Grinch, who lives a solitary life inside a cave on Mt. Crumpet with only his loyal dog, Max, for company. With a cave rigged with inventions and contraptions for his day-to-day needs, the Grinch only sees his neighbors in Whoville when he runs out of food. Each year at Christmas they disrupt his tranquil solitude with their increasingly bigger, brighter, and louder celebrations. When the Whos declare they are going to make Christmas three times bigger this year, the Grinch …

Universal and Illumination Entertainment have given rest to their beloved Minion and Despicable Me franchises (for now) as we all ironically sigh aloud in inner turmoil, and they now take aim at beloved classics with The Grinch, the first of such films to be pushed through the door. While remnants and comparisons to that of the 2000 Jim Carrey/Ron Howard Christmas tale and the Boris Karloff animation How the Grinch Stole Christmas! Yarrow Cheney and Scott Mosier’s 2018 reimagination of the character is, in fact, a rather entertaining and enjoyable film that hits all the right spots with a balance of honouring what’s come before and standing affirm on its own.

Cumberbatch, voicing the titular character, follows both Karloff and Carrey with a delightfully angst fuelled performance. Gone has the evilness and pessimistic debauchery and replaced is a more social anxiety and recluse aspect taken shape for The Grinch. Which ultimately leads to a more endearing and humanising capturing of such a villain. It starts rocky for Cumberbatch, employing a rather withering and overdone American accent. However, credit where credit is due, his vocal performance is slick and delightfully theatrical throughout. In particular, the scheming and comedy moments work wonders in outlandish set pieces with a humorous menacing charade of wonderful farce perfectly captured.